Policy & Regulations

This channel includes news coverage of healthcare policy and regulations set by Congress, the states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and medical associations and societies. 

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Kaiser Permanente's 'secret' Medicaid deal with California raises eyebrows

The five-year agreement would make Kaiser Permanente the only insurer with a statewide Medi-Cal contract in California.

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Oracle’s $28.3B deal to buy Cerner facing antitrust scrutiny, additional lawsuits

A filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission listed seven civil actions brought forth by Cerner stockholders that suggest disclosure documents contain "insufficient or incorrect" information.

UnitedHealthcare subpoenaed over data breach impacting 22,000 people

The Rhode Island Attorney General's office said "one or more" entities may have diverted from standard information safeguards.

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Medicare patients will have access to free at-home COVID tests starting this spring

Under the Biden administration's new mandate, Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries will be eligible for eight free tests each month.

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Cardinal Health will pay $13M to settle kickback allegations

The Ohio-based drug distributor violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by offering to pay physician practices upfront discounts to buy pharmaceuticals paid for by federal health programs, according to the DOJ.

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UnitedHealth subsidiary must pay $20M after purposely denying claims to ‘protect its bottom line’

The ruling ends a more than six year class-action lawsuit against United Behavioral Health.

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New lawsuit alleges Duke is working to ‘destroy’ private physicians group

Meanwhile, representatives with the institution say the suit "has no basis in fact or law" and that the university plans to fight it.

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Five hospital groups join AHA, AMA legal challenge against surprise billing provision

The Federation of American Hospitals and Association of American Medical Colleges are among those organizations that filed an amicus brief in December.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.